The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for painting surfaces and, in particular, to an apparatus and method for forming and controlling a pattern for spraying surfaces with a fluid using a rotary atomizer spray head.
Improvements in painting automobile bodies and component parts continue to advance. In the area of painting exterior surfaces, robots with rotary atomizers are now being used in place of less flexible bell machines. Robots offer more flexibility and new approaches are offered to reduce paint consumption and improve film build uniformity. Robots have long been used for painting interior compartments of car bodies, including the engine compartment, door rings, and trunk compartment. Robots are now being outfitted with rotary atomizers in place of spray guns to further reduce paint usage and improve coverage. With these advances, the pattern control of the rotary atomizer is being adapted to optimize film build uniformity and finish quality while reducing paint consumption.
Exterior Optimization
The use of robots outfitted with rotary atomizers continues to gain popularity for painting the exterior surfaces of automobile bodies. As the trend becomes a standard for the industry, refinements in the application method continue to develop. One area of particular importance is the spray pattern geometry and painting methods described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,703,079. The velocity and direction of the shaping air imparted to the outside edge of the bell cup is the main influence on the spray pattern geometry. Higher velocities result in a smaller and more defined pattern.
Prior art apparatuses include the use of less flexible manipulators where the amount of shaping air is maintained at a low level. Consequently, the single applicator cast a large pattern covering a large surface area. The broadly cast pattern used in prior art application methods has a relatively low particle speed and largely relies on the electrostatic effect to carry the atomized droplets to the grounded surface of the car body. The thickness of the deposited paint film is susceptible to surface irregularities and the dynamics of spray booth air flow. Protrusions in the surface or the edges of the panels attract more paint due to the electrostatic effect. The slow moving particles are influenced by spray booth downdraft, which affects the paint cloud resulting in poor surface uniformity.
The broadly cast pattern is also inefficient when painting smaller panels as a large portion of the paint droplets are sprayed beyond the desired target area. This paint is deposited on parts of the car that do not require the decorative media; for example, the inside surfaces of the car or the underside surfaces of the car.
The use of a focused pattern as opposed to a broadly cast pattern can attain improved surface finish uniformity while maintaining a relatively high transfer efficiency. The increased flexibility of the robotic method permits the application of the focused pattern of charged paint droplets to be moved across the multi contoured exterior surface. In this manner, the paint is directed more specifically to the areas needed. The higher shape air setting produces a slightly higher particle velocity that minimizes the uniformity issues associated with electrostatic attraction and spray booth airflow effects. Optimization of the shape air control can create a stable focused pattern that minimizes robot speed while obtaining high transfer efficiency. The diameter of the air holes, the spacing or number of holes, the distance from the bell cup edge and the geometry of the external surface of the bell cup edge are the main factors for controlling the pattern shape.
In past practices, the shape air holes were mainly straight having either a flow vector perpendicular to the bell cup edge directed into the paint stream and not on the cup surface, or originating behind the cup with the air directed along the majority of the cup's exterior.
Shape air rings have been developed with air holes angled counter to the bell cup rotation. Optimization of the shape air ring design with holes pointing against the bell cup rotation produces dual pattern types. Lower airflow velocities produce the broadly cast pattern (also called soft pattern) while higher velocities produce the focused pattern (also called vortex pattern).
Past experimentation was conducted to change the method in which the second coat of metallic base coat paints was applied. Previously the second coat was applied with a spray gun to achieve the desired alignment of metal flakes, particularly with the flakes aligned parallel to the surface. Having a significantly higher transfer efficiency (TE), it was desirable to use a rotary applicator to perform the same task.
Modifications to the bell cup and use of air nozzles inclined against the rotational direction of the bell cup produced desired results with a significantly improved transfer efficiency (TE) when compared to a spray gun. The process of painting with nozzles inclined against the rotation of the bell cup is well known and used extensively in the industry today. Although this method provided suitable results at lower bell cup rotational speeds, the pattern would collapse into a narrow and unstable pattern at higher rotational speeds. At higher flow rates and with very viscous materials it is necessary to seek other solutions in order to achieve the desired color and surface finish required.
Interior Optimization
While the stable focused pattern is desirable for exterior applications, it is sometimes necessary to further collapse the atomized paint into a very narrow tubular spray pattern in order to deposit the paint into narrow and complex surfaces such as the interior door ring. This very narrow pattern is undesirable for exterior surfaces because it could lead to striping or very high robot movement but it is very desirable to get paint into the door hinge area. For this application, it is necessary to achieve the tubular pattern at lower bell speeds in order to have high transfer efficiency. The straight hole arrangement, with the nozzles in close proximity to the bell cup edge seems to be the most effective approach to develop the very concentrated pattern geometry.
With the straight shaping air hole alignment, several prior art approaches exist to create narrow pattern widths necessary for interior cut in applications. The approaches consist of: 1) high volume shaping air with holes directing air flow off the bell cup edge; 2) shaping air holes located significantly rearward of the bell cup edge with a high volume of air traveling along the length of the cup; and 3) small diameter bell cups that create narrow pattern widths. In all three approaches, the high volume of shaping air is necessary to collapse the pattern.
Each of the aforementioned approaches has drawbacks. With the shaping air holes directing air into the paint stream, not landing the shaping air on the bell cup edge, the high velocity air can pierce the paint pattern. Poor uniformity can occur at higher flow rates. More air is needed causing a venturi effect near the nozzles and a small portion of the paint droplets can get drawn into a circulating pattern causing secondary atomization. Shaping air located at the extreme rear of the cup requires significantly more air flow to achieve the necessary velocity to collapse the pattern into a sufficiently tight pattern for interior cut ins. Lastly, a smaller diameter bell cup must be operated at a higher bell speed, proportional to diameter, to achieve the same amount of atomization as a larger bell cup. A higher amount of shaping air is required to assist in atomization. In all cases higher shaping air velocity causes lower transfer efficiencies; moreover, higher velocities causes re-circulation leading to poorer atomization and over spray accumulation on the applicator. It is desirable to have a nozzle that uses the minimum amount of air to attain the tubular effect needed for interior cut-in type applications.